Rick Sanchez Resurfaces at RT America

Ten years ago, Rick Sanchez was a daytime host on CNN fresh off a interim stint in primetime. On Thursday, he announced that he had joined RT, a cable news outlet funded by the Russian government and deemed a foreign agent by the US government, to host The News with Rick Sanchez, a primetime program at 7 and 8 PM. The News was also the branding for the late Ed Schultz’s program on RT.

TKNN can also confirmed that Sanchez is no longer with Fox News, where he served as a contributor and worked with the since-shuttered Fox News Latino. Sanchez, however, had not been on-air in a long time and Fox News Latino almost two years ago.

Sanchez was fired from CNN for claiming that the news media was run by Jews. At the time, he apologized for his comments and said, “I want to go on record to say that I have nothing but the highest regard for CNN and for my six wonderful years with them. I appreciate every opportunity that they have given me, and it has been a wonderful experience working for them.” During an interview with the outlet yesterday, Sanchez claimed that RT had total journalistic independence and this was in contrast to the “corporate networks,” where he had to fear that “there might be some corporation or maybe the corporation that happens to own my company that’s gonna stop me from doing that story.”

Sanchez has not given an example of when a story of his was quashed by his corporate pressures. Efforts to communicate with Sanchez were unsuccessful.

RT, however, has had accusations that it promises a pro-Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin viewpoint. Then-anchor Liz Wahl resigned on-air, stating, “I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of Putin. I am proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth. And that is why, after this newscast, I am resigning.”

However, Sanchez has doubled-down on his claim that RT has journalistic independence and said that viewers of his show will “turn [their] brain on.”